The invention relates to an electrical connector suitable to mate with a counterpart connector along a mating axis, and having an insulating housing and snap-fit locking means provided to releasably lock said housing onto a counterpart connector housing in a mated position, said locking means comprising                a partially deformable locking member which is mounted on the housing so as to be axially slideable between an extended locking position and a retracted position, and        biasing means which axially bias said locking member to its locking position.        
Prior art connectors of this type have a recess formed in the housing, said recess being engageable by a complementary projection formed on a flexible beam of the counterpart connector housing. In such conventional connectors, the locking member is provided to lock the beam in the engaged position of the projection in the recess.
The connectors of this type, due to their locking means, are suitable for safety applications. However, their construction implies that both the connector equipped with the slideable locking member and the counterpart connector have deformable locking portions. The design of both connectors is thus specific to such safety applications, and both connectors are made more complex to manufacture.